Diebus Fatalibus
by AngelicConquistador
Summary: An AU story with ROTF and G1 elements. Megatron's blast didn't kill Sam instantly. After Sam revives Optimus, he succumbs to his fatal injuries. The Dynasty of Primes decide to give him a second chance... as a sparkling seeker. Contains slash.
1. Lift the Wings

**AngelicCrossplay**: I think I would have learned by now, but unfortunately I have not. Here's to another story~! I hope you all enjoy. And yes, even I have a soft spot for Bot!Sam stories… So I apologize to anyone who might have expected another update to **His Gaze Denotes Love**. I'm still working on part three of chapter four, so do not fear!

**Disclaimer**- I do not own Transformers, because it actually belongs to Hasbro/Takara, Michael Bay, and Paramount Pictures. I am not making any monetary profit, rather the only profit I _can _claim to achieving is the strengthening of my writing skills. The title comes from the awesome song _Liberi Fatali_by Nobuo Uematsu, which I also don't own. The meaning is 'from the days of destiny,' from the English translation I found. I thought it was fitting. But yes, I don't own that either. Also, **the concept of** **seekers having programming that causes them to drop everything and protect/care for a sparkling in distress does not belong to me**. I can't exactly remember who owns the idea, but it certainly isn't mine. I am integrating some of that idea into the story here because I find it to be a really cool idea that I wish was canon. XP

**Dedication**: to all those who enjoy this, and to my good friend Sarah, who is my Sideswipe. I would not have it any other way.

**Summary**- An AU story that takes place during and after ROTF with G1 characters included. Megatron's blast didn't kill Sam instantly. After Optimus is revived, Sam finally succumbs to his life-threatening injuries. The first Transformers decide to give Sam a second chance… as a sparkling seeker.

**Note**: I will have a poll up on my profile later on where one can vote on who Sam will be paired with in the distant future. I don't really know who I want with him right now. XD Established pairings: RatchetxWheeljack, ThundercrackerxSkywarp, future SkyfirexStarscream. These characters that are mentioned here are **critical** to the story's plot, and will have a hand in raising Sam. This means that they will be _out of_ _the running for Sam's affection later on_.

* * *

**Diebus Fatalibus**

**Chapter One: Lift the Wings**

"Speech"

'Thought'

'**Cybertronian speech'**

'_Song lyrics'_

In the sands of Egypt, Outside the Pyramids-

Normal POV

The sand _burned_. No, it was not the sun that burned Sam Witwicky, but the damned awful _sand_. It got into every orifice- coating the inside of his mouth and his tongue, stung the delicate lining of his nose, littered his ears, and irritated his eyes.

And most of all, it set all of his wounds aflame with even more pain.

He was dimly aware that he had just flown meters through the air after getting clipped by Megatron's fusion cannon. No, it wasn't a direct hit- he would have been dead- but the blast had collided with the rocks and sand near his feet, with the offending projectiles ricocheting off and slamming against him. He had fallen to the ground after sailing quite a distance, and could feel the horrible, agonizingly painful sensation of an invading presence; a large piece of rock was lodged in his chest, perilously close to his heart. Even worse was the blood, it was _everywhere_. It was gushing out of every wound, every scratch was now considered a dangerous adversary, soaking into his clothing and feeding the grains beneath him.

He had heard Mikaela screaming for him to get up, could now see her pretty face over his begging for him to arise. There was still a battle going on, and loud booms from the many cannons and explosives colliding with their targets made Sam wonder if he was going deaf. He certainly was numb to much of what Mikaela was saying, but the important mission he had given himself weighed heavily on his mind.

_Bring Optimus back._

It took forever, it seemed, to pull himself into a sitting position, then to his knees. Swaying, threatening to topple back onto the shifting bed of gold, Sam could only concentrate on the mission at hand. He had to bring Optimus back, for the earth, for the Autobots, for everyone, for himself.

It was his fault Optimus had died.

The least he could do is bring the planet's savior back to where he belonged, with the living, and to his friends.

If he could do that, then he wouldn't mind dropping on the ground and taking a nap.

He rose to his feet, and upon taking one step nearly fell once more. His left leg was mangled, and oh did it ever hurt just to stand! Even if he had to crawl, he needed to make it to the Prime's side.

With every step he took, drops of blood rained down. He could barely hear Lennox's cry for medics, or Mikaela demanding to be by his side, but was instead held back by Epps. He was concentrated on his goal.

'_I'll bring you back.'_Sam dropped to his knees before the Prime, and with the sock filled with the Matrix's essence gripped between his teeth, he clambered onto Optimus. If he had to describe the journey, to him, he would compare it to climbing Mount Everest. Incredibly exhausted, mortally injured, and somewhat deaf, Sam was only living for one reason presently. After he made it to Optimus's chest, he dropped the sack of Matrix grains, which burst on contact and formed into a spiraling diamond-shaped metal object. Sam could hear the whispers of ancient voices stemming from it, but paid no heed.

He had a job to do.

Matrix in hand, he raised it above his head with a cry and thrust it into Optimus's spark chamber. Electricity arced and spread in waves across the great leader's chest as it jump-started Optimus's spark, turning the once dull spark chamber into a full house of glowing blue energy. It was quite unlike anything Sam had ever seen before, and he watched with awe.

With a gasp, gray optics became a valiant sapphire blue; the Prime's systems were activated and Sam could hear and feel the vibrations of them as they began to work. Optimus coughed, spitting out a piece of metal, and jarred Sam from his position on his chest.

Sam let out a pained moan, his chest hurt even more now and since his goal had been accomplished, awareness came back to him slowly, heightening the fact that he was bleeding to death and feeling it too. The sensation of energy slowly seeping out through blazing fields of pain made Sam aware of just how tired he was. The life he had was leaving him, and the thought weighed down upon him like lead weights as Sam slid off Optimus's chest back onto the sand.

"Boy… You came back for me." Sam looked up to see the grateful optics of Optimus Prime, which made his heart swell with pride. He had accomplished something that would benefit everyone now, the Autobots had their leader back, and he would save the day, he just knew it. Optimus was the superhero who was back from the dead to fight the ultimate evil… usually stronger.

But this situation proved to be different.

Sam and the other Autobots were too late to do anything when long and ancient face of the Fallen made himelf apparent right next to Optimus. Having the ability to warp, he had shown up in a matter of seconds and tugged the Matrix back out of Optimus's spark chamber. The Fallen crooned sinisterly, "my Matrix," and with a sneer, he warped with it back towards the sun harvester, leaving Optimus to fall to his knees and groan as his beacon of energy was taken away, clutching at his chest in obvious pain.

It tore at Sam, who felt as if everything he had just accomplished would be for nothing unless something happened. A powerful uprising of emotions within him made him determined to live until Optimus was functioning normally, he couldn't watch him die, not again! "OPTIMUS!!!!! Get up!!!" He cried, even though it hurt so badly to do so.

If it hadn't been for Jetfire's sacrifice, Ratchet's ingenuity and Jolt's mastery over his electrowhips, Optimus would have succumbed to death yet again. But no, now with the added power of Jetfire's parts and weapons, Optimus looked ready to perform the hero's most valiant task- defeat the villain to save the world. With one of his signature quotes uttered ("Let's roll"), Optimus took flight to engage in a fight that proved to be awe-inspiring to all optics that weren't currently trained on beating the slag out of a Decepticon.

It was through this acute sense of faith and trust that Sam knew the battle would be won, and he smiled softly. It wasn't a smile of regret, or sadness. It was one of acknowledgement.

_His end was near._

Mikaela shrilled loudly when she saw Sam fall to the ground from her view, stuck in a forced hold in Epps's muscular arms. "Sam!!!! Someone help him!"

Human medics ran up to the boy's body, with a helicopter landing nearby, ready to take Sam to a medical facility. He was gasping for breath now, finding even what seemed to be the most mundane of tasks such as _breathing _to be difficult. There were cries of alarm all around him, as he could see the horrified looks upon his parents' faces, Mikaela's, Epps's, even Will's, and the heartbroken expression on Bumblebee's face, who seemed to be the only bot who had noticed Sam's state. He cracked a smile, his only message he had left to give them: 'everything will be alright.'

That was the last time he saw their faces before he was shuttled into the helicopter and airlifted away from the scene of battle. Sam could hear the sounds of the equipment the medics used to try and save him, the harsh noise of the blood pressure machine, the slowing of beeps echoing from the heart monitor, and the whirs of the propeller blades that kept them aloft. He could hear their voices and the other noises gradually fade away…

"We're losing him!"

"Blood pressure dropping…"

And then everything went dark, even though he could clearly see the faces of all those he cared about flash through his mind one last time before he stopped fighting, he stopped trying to live, and soon all was quiet.

The senior medic solemnly looked down at his hands even as he quietly asked, "the time of death?"

"1:06 PM."

"We should bring the body back. Message relay says his parents were there." Another medic remarked from behind steel-rimmed glasses.

"I suppose we c-" the senior medic was cut off when the lights within the helicopter began to flicker on and off, machines began to fail, and things shook inside the machine. "Everyone remain calm!"

As soon as the medic finished his sentence, everything went completely dark after a wave of silver particles slammed into the side of the helicopter, even phasing through the interior. It knocked out all of the lights, just for a moment.

When the lights flickered back on a moment later, Sam's body was gone.

* * *

In a realm beyond reach, it wasn't often that the original Transformers had company. They had taken Sam's destiny into their servos, and so, brought the boy's body to them.

"**His body is still warm."** One muttered as he scanned the boy's body, whose wounds were still sluggishly bleeding.

"**His death was not in vain. He has saved Optimus, our last descendant." **Another murmured in a gravelly voice.

"**Yet he was so young. If he were one of us, he would still be a sparkling."**One of the large cybertronians looked at Sam's face with a mournful sigh. The loss of sparklings made the war-torn world of the cybertronians a much darker place. **"He shouldn't have died."**

"**I agree. Even so, I can see his soul has not left his body…" **One of the others who hadn't spoken yet had decided to add to the conversation. **"We could do something about it."**

"**Are you suggesting that we bring him back?"** A shorter Transformer asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"**It is the least we can do." **One of them remarked. **"Let us give him life once more."**

"**But his soul is already leaving his body. It will not go back to it." **The first Transformer that had spoken pointed out. **"The human soul is quite similar to a Spark… the energy it gives off is much lower than a spark, but it needs only to be strengthened. If we could provide the energy…"**

The transformer who had mourned the loss of sparklings seemed to brighten at this. **"Then he could be brought back. As a sparkling, I hope?"**

The others were amused by the previous comment, but did not show their amusement. Finally, the remaining transformer who had not yet said anything spoke in a commanding tone. **"It shall be done." **Bending over Sam's fallen body, he sent a burst of energy to Sam's drifting soul, energizing it and causing it to grow in size. It had been a white speck to the optics of the Primes, but now it was a small (but still bigger than it was before) blue spark, that began to bob up and down. The transformer who adored sparklings cooed to Sam's spark, which zipped from side to side in excitement. But before it could wander towards him, it was caged within a casing that was tinted purple. Confused, it began to beat upon the glass-like substance, trying to get out.

"**He needs a protoform," **one commented. **"I recommend a Seeker form. There are very few of them now."**

The one who had changed Sam's soul into a spark watched Sam's spark flutter and zoom from within its casing with interested optics. **"One who longs to fly free. I agree. He shall be a Seeker." **With mutterings of approval presented by the others, the transformer began to form a body. He started by summoning all the materials they would need to form each and every part of Sam's new body. Once the parts arrived, he commanded the others to do certain tasks as he began to start working on integrating delicate circuits together, forming Sam's core processor among other parts of the neural wire network that would allow Sam to think and command his body to move. Another mech began to help him, which sped up the process, however this was still a delicate procedure, so the two of them worked carefully.

Another started work on the vital components of a transformer's body- filling up a fuel tank with energon before attaching it to other wires that would circulate it and mech fluid through other wires. He would then start on the heating and cooling systems once he was finished.

Two transformers were fashioning the external parts, such as the servos and stabilizing servos, the legs, arms, torso, and the head, carving features that would impress and endear others to his new body, adding sensor nodes to the metal flesh. Then they would install what was essentially the muscular system of the Transformer, the parts that would support the external parts and protect the essential internal pieces of cybertronian anatomy.

The second to last Prime made small yet powerful data chips that would allow the storage of memory files as well as the transforming cog, and the gyro (that would allow Sam to fly in his alt mode) while the remaining Prime installed the core programming that held such systems as the self-repair system, firewall and security systems, interface data (THAT would be locked away until Sam was at LEAST in his third frame), optical system, audio system, among many others. When the others weren't looking, the mech who was in charge of the data chips created one that would be stored in a small chamber in his arm that could be used to store a few spare data chips. It held Sam's name, and stated that he was to be raised by the Autobots, when he would regain his memories, among other things. It would prove to come in handy later.

The whole process took joors to finish, but when it was finished, Sam's spark chamber was finally integrated with the body, and came online. When the weary Primes gazed upon the tiny sparkling, they felt a great sense of accomplishment fill them when he turned to them and made adorable clicking noises. While he was online, Sam's old memories from his time as a human were nearly gone. Only life-changing memories of great importance had imprinted upon Sam's soul, and those were locked in a memory archive of high security. They would only be accessible when Sam was older, around his third frame, as they surmised that he would be ready to receive them. For now, Sam was a child again. An incredibly cute one, at that.

The sparkling was a silvery-white mess with blue lining his little wings, light green paint around the area where the cockpit of his future alt mode would reside, black covering his head, servos, and stabilizing servos. His optics were a bright and shining blue, showing the true nature of his soul- he was an Autobot down to his spark. Sam chirped up to them from his spot on the ground, holding up his servos in the hopes that someone would pick him up.

A Prime made moves towards indulging the little mech, but was denied by the gentle servos that gripped his wrists. **"You cannot allow him to become attached to you. It is time that we send him back to where he belongs."**

"**I suppose you are right."**The mech replied reluctantly, not happy with the development. At least they had managed to accomplish what they set out to do.

Sam, who was unhappy with the fact that no one was picking him up, began to cry in distress. They winced- they were happy that there was not an adult seeker nearby, or they'd be slagged. They were so distracted by the thought that when they gathered enough energy to make a Space bridge to send him away in, that they accidentally changed its destination without realizing their mistake until the distressed cries of Sam disappeared from sight and sound.

"**Did we just send him to Cybertron?"** One asked, with an expression of self-depreciation present on his facial plates.

"**We did."**

An astrosecond of silence reigned until all of the mechs swore in unison, **"oh slag."**

* * *

With all the joors that had passed while Sam's new body was being made, several things had taken place. One was that Megatron had his aft handed to him and was still recovering from his beating in his room from their stronghold on Cybertron. Starscream was repaired by an unwilling Hook, but repaired nonetheless. Currently, he was flying in the sky above the many buildings over a distant (yet still not far if he flew at his fastest speed back to the base) part of Cybertron, trying to forget the reason for his pain in his spark.

He remembered upon arriving back on Cybertron when he was tackled by a sobbing Skywarp and a distressed Thundercracker, he had demanded to know what was wrong. He ignored his injuries in favor of comforting his trine, because he for one had never seen Skywarp cry such large amounts of lubricant before, and the tears were tinged with energon, judging from the pearly pink sheen. That indicated a great amount of emotional stress, which in turn affected the mech or femme's body. Skywarp only choked out, **"t-the sparklings… they're all dead… all of them."**

Pure dread had gripped Starscream's spark as he immediately shifted into his alt mode, despite his pain, and flew to the wide room that had housed the sparklings that they had managed to find and try to raise. But due to the lack of energon on Cybertron, all of them had perished. Starscream had screeched his pain and had to be put into stasis lock in order to treat his injuries (as well as save the audio receptors of everyone in the vicinity- he wasn't called 'Screamer' for nothing). Thundercracker watched over not only Starscream, but the depressed form of his sparkmate, trying to hold it together for them both.

When Starscream had awoken earlier that orn, he had flown off to try to forget his pain. He remembered spending so much time putting together the bodies for the sparks that they would house, putting precious time and resources into building Cybertron's future while Megatron was dead.

Now they were all gone.

But as Starscream would learn, not all was lost.

He'd been flying lower than normal, almost wanting to destroy anything (Primus, he'd even take on Prime in his advanced state from the last battle if he knew he would make it out alive) to get rid of some of his sadness and anger, but he would be better off saving that rage for the Autobots, whenever they chose to attack next.

When the sounds of heavy crying reached his audio receptors, Starscream nearly crashed into a building in his shock, only managing to avert the metallic structure at the last minute. Landing on top of a collapsed tower, he strained his receptors, trying to pick up the noise. Surely it couldn't be a sparkling… they were all dead, and there was hardly a mech to be seen out in this destroyed sector, let alone a femme. He was going to dismiss it as a malfunction of his circuits until he heard the crying start up even louder. Determined to find out the source of the crying, Starscream searched extensively among the ruins slowly as he could.

He'd almost given up until he was able to lock onto the heat signature that the young cybertronian had; and to his surprise, it really _was_a sparkling- a very, very young one that looked as if it were created barely more than an orn before. Before he knew what ran through his processor, he had powered down, landed, and had the sparkling in his arms within a klick, instantly trying to soothe it.

That damnable part of his core programming had done it again. Starscream couldn't deny that he did have a soft spark for sparklings, but he didn't like everyone knowing. Doubtless Megatron would take advantage if he knew. And that was something Starscream couldn't risk. He would have to leave it.

But as he stared at the tiny mech, he could feel his previous thought leave his mind within an astrosecond. The small face of the blue-optic'd sparkling had broadened into a smile as it clicked at him, happy to see that someone finally found him. The sparkling reached forward and curled up against Starscream's warm chassis, content as it continued to click and warble endearingly. Starscream found his resolve weakening even more when he discovered the sparkling had little wings, proving that he was a Seeker, just like him and his trine.

Starscream's claws lightly touched the tiny wings, running up and down them and its back, knowing that it soothed the sparkling. He was right when the sparkling cooed in happiness as it rested its head against Starscream's chest, over where it knew the spark chamber to be. It was confident that he wouldn't be left alone again, and was fully prepared to go recharge in his new guardian's arms.

The Seeker couldn't believe that there was an actual living sparkling right in his arms. He'd thought that all others had perished, since there were so few femmes left and war wasn't an ideal time for two mechs to have a sparkling. It was the only reason Thundercracker and Skywarp hadn't had a sparkling of their own yet- that, and the materials required to build a sparkling's body were harder and harder to find now that Cybertron's population was a far cry from the millions of mechs and femmes that lived there. Femmes were in even shorter supply; for every femme that could possibly be living, there were at least 20 mechs to proceed her. Megatron had most of them killed when he raided the sectors so long ago. This was a really glitchy thing of him to do, as femmes had the ability and abundant materials from the kibble on their own bodies for the sparkling to use and form its own chassis. Mechs who wanted to have sparklings had to build bodies to house the developing spark in. Starscream couldn't tell if this sparkling was built by its creators or if it was born from a femme's body, but either way, he wasn't going to leave the sparkling alone.

He sent Thundercracker and Skywarp a message via their integrated private commlink that he had set up for extensive use between his trine. He told them his position, and didn't say much, only that they had to be there within five breems or he would frag them up.

Needless to say, they arrived in three breems.

As Thundercracker's thrusters touched the ground, he transformed, along with Skywarp, who seemed to have calmed down from his earlier emotional breakdown. Giving Starscream a confused look, he asked, "what is this about?"

Starscream let the recharging sparkling in his arms come within optic-view. "Does this answer your question, Thundercracker?"

Skywarp nearly screeched louder than Starscream on a bad day. "Is that… a sparkling?! Is it alive?!"

"Shut up, you fool! Of course it is." Starscream hissed at him as he held the sparkling protectively. Even though he knew the other seekers meant no harm, he didn't want the sparkling to online its optics just yet- it needed to recharge.

"But how?" Skywarp asked, shocked beyond belief. "It… does it have any Creators around?"

Thundercracker scanned the area and found no other signs of life. "It doesn't seem like it. There are no others around here besides us."

"Does this mean… we are to care for it?" Skywarp asked hopefully, red optics shining with uncharacteristic hope.

Starscream was silent for a few astroseconds as he gazed at the sparkling's tiny form. The sparkling was so young, so fragile; if he added a slight amount of pressure to the arms he had wrapped around the little mechs' body, it would snap faster than Skywarp's all-time record for stupid comebacks to one of the seekers's insults. He turned to look his trinemates in the optics, and answered his wingmate with a serious tone to his voice. "He will be our charge… for now. But if Megatron finds out that he is alive… I fear what will become of him."

"We'll tear him apart if he harms the sparkling," Thundercracker's deep voice grumbled from within his vocal capacitor.

"He'll be safe as long as no one else learns of his existence." Starscream murmured pointedly. "That means that he is hidden from view at all times. Everyone else knows about the fate of the other sparklings." At the last statement, all of the seekers' optics dulled, each feeling the loss grip their very sparks with great depression. But when they looked at the shifting sparkling, who made a squeaking noise in his recharge, each of them were forced to the present. There was still one life they could save.

"We'll do what is best for the sparkling," Thundercracker pledged, with Skywarp nodding fervently, joining in with Thundercracker's next sentence. "Whatever happens, his wellbeing comes before our own." Their optics seemed to glow with an inner fire of great determination, prompted by the vulnerability of the sparkling and their last failures. The would not fail again.

Finally Starscream added to the pledge, his own optics glimmering in the same way, with each of them saying the exact same thing in almost perfect unison- the effect of their programming and their deep bond within their trine- "for he is the future, and we shall treat him as our own."

With their pact made, the three seekers took off towards the base, with Sam safely recharging in the arms of Starscream, oblivious to what his future might hold…

End of Chapter One

* * *

**AC**: and the first chapter is done~! Nope, not even the first Transformers/Primes are perfect. We ALL screw up sometimes. I'm pleased with how this turned out so far. Expect this to be a very _long_fanfic. I tend to write long chapters when it comes to my favorite subject matter- transformers. This is probably the shortest chapter you'll see in this fanfic. Right now my mind's going a million miles an hour, so I might just plow ahead and write another chapter within a day or so… time permitting. Anyway, please tell me what you think. I thrive off of reviews and constructive criticism. Any questions you may have either put into a review or send in a private message- I will do my best to answer. Until next time!


	2. Bless the Child

**AC**: I started this on the same day I posted the first chapter, but only just finished this now. **Fails **Between betaing, college, working, real life, and working on _His Gaze Denotes Love_ I have been pretty darn busy. Thank you to all who are enjoying this story so far, it really lifts my spirits, which have been falling lower and lower lately.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Transformers. D: I also don't own the song titles I am snatching for the chapter titles.

**Dedication**- everyone who is enjoying this. Thank you for your support.

**Note**: I forgot to mention this in the previous chapter, but instead of the bizarre symbols Starscream had all over him in ROTF, Starscream will have a slight reddish tint along his wings, blue on his claws, and so forth just like the coloring he had in G1. The only difference here is that the colors aren't as bright; they just have a slight tint of that color (for disguise purposes- the color diminishes when they are in their alt modes). Same thing goes for Thundercracker and Skywarp with their respective coloring.

**Note 2**: Each chapter is named after a song that I thought fit the chapter. The last chapter, called "Lift the Wings," belongs to Bill Whelan from the Riverdance soundtrack. The song title for this chapter comes from Nightwish's song, "Bless the Child."

**Note 3**: I am going with the idea that Arcee, Chromia, and Flareup are separate individuals to avoid confusion with the multiple conflicting ideas propagated on the Transformers Wiki site. So I'm saying this: Arcee is alive despite that nasty blow to the head and chest (because she's my favorite femme bot), Chromia is alive (she survives at the end of ROTF supposedly), but Flareup is dead. Sorry m'dear, you get the short end of the stick. They could all combine and had a special bond that enabled them to do so too. So yeah. If you don't like it, then don't complain about this or the mild OOCness. Oh and the slash too.

Time conversions:

Astrosecond = .498 of a second

Klik = 1.2 minutes

Breem = 8.3 minutes

Cycle = 1.25 hours

Joor = 6.5 Hours

Orn = 13 human days

Vorn = 83 human years

Without taking the leap year into account, there are about 28 orns in one human year, and there are about 2,330.38 orns in a vorn… 'cause I was bored.

* * *

**Diebus Fatalibus**

**Chapter Two: Bless the Child**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"**Cybertronian Speech"**

"_Song lyrics"_

Back at the base of the Pyramids of Giza, in Egypt, about three Earth days before Starscream found Sam-

Normal POV

There was nothing like the satisfaction of knowing one had just kicked aft and saved the planet, but such feelings are short-lived, especially when one finds out that several of their comrades had died.

Optimus Prime had not known of Arcee's and Chromia's comrade's death, and had mourned Flareup's loss when he realized her face was missing from their round-up of the survivors. She had been quite young, and if he wanted to guess in human terms, she would be in her middle twenties. Luckily, Arcee still had Chromia to support her in matters in and beyond combat.

Jetfire too, had sacrificed his parts to give Optimus the boost necessary to defeat the Fallen. What was left of him lie in the sands, slowly being buried by the wind. His once magnificent spark was gone, with only the shattered casing left. Mech fluid and energon covered it, drying under the fierce glare of the sun's rays. His battle ax (that doubled as a cane) had been left near it.

…They would have to give him a proper Cybertronian send off to honor him.

Others in his command had suffered minor to heavy damage. Ironhide had a huge tear in his chassis, along his right side. It was oozing mech fluid and energon everywhere and already Ratchet was attending to it with his field supply of tools. Sideswipe had a multitude of dents and scratches, and one of his optics was offline, most likely broken. Mudflap was much more damaged than his brother Skids, looking like he had just gone through a scrap metal grinder. Jolt appeared to be fine, but carried the injured Arcee in his arms, who was offline, most likely from the shock of losing her sister combined with a head injury. Chromia was still online, staunchly looking at Optimus while awaiting orders. One of her arms had been torn off and was held in her other servo.

He could see almost all of his brave soldiers… except for Bumblebee. "Where is Bumblebee?" Optimus asked, confused. He knew the yellow mech was fine when he saw him last, which was right after he was upgraded with Jetfire's parts.

The somber mood that had been infecting the quiet Autobots seemed to intensify. They knew something.

Finally Ratchet looked up from his welding of the main energon lines that had been severed. His optics were filled with remorse. "He is… over with the other humans. You should… console him."

Optimus felt dread begin to seize his newly-revived spark in an ironclad grip. There was something he was forgetting, something of grave importance. "What is troubling his processor?" He asked hesitantly.

Ratchet's vocal capacitor made a choking noise and could not answer, instead burying himself in his work on finishing up Ironhide's repairs. Normally, Ratchet was able to speak of dark matters (such as the death of soldiers in the field) with his emotional blockade holding strong and steady. It did not allow him to wallow in sorrow for his comrades, but focus his knowledge to save the living patients that needed him at that crucial time. Right now, it seemed that some of the blockade program was backed up- for he was clearly able to focus on repairs, but there was a great weight of sorrow on his chassis that rendered the chartreuse green CMO mute. The black Topkick put a servo on his shoulder in support and decided it would most likely be better if he told Optimus instead of Ratchet. He sighed deeply, and then looked Optimus fully in the optics. "Optimus… Sam is dead."

Those words seemed to echo inside the processor of the Prime before them, as his optics focused and then unfocused, like there was a glitch in his optical sensors. Vehement denial began to fill him from the bottom of his energon tank, almost making him want to purge the contents within. "I saw him- he was alive. He brought me back." His composure was cracking, and he commanded his battle mask to slip back on over the lower half of his face to help keep what was left of his dignity. "Autobots, fall back to the carrier, refuel, and rest. They'll take us back to base. I will be back with Bumblebee." He turned, the sun now casting its beams on his scratched and dented frame. His back was as strong as ever, but for now, gravity seemed to be bringing him down, making his shoulders slump just a little, and proving that he was affected to some degree by the news.

The Autobots tried to ignore it, but they all knew it was a heavy blow to Optimus. The Prime had cared deeply for Sam and saw him as not just a comrade, but as a great friend. He had fought to the death and died for that boy, who in great faith brought him back from the Matrix.

Now, he was gone.

Optimus made the short trip to the weeping Bumblebee's side in about thirty long strides. The small yellow bot was spraying cleaning fluid at his optics, which was a normal thing a Cybertronian did to clean their optics, should the optical glass be dirty. But when he stopped, he could see what he'd been trying to cover up from Optimus- the energon-tinted lubricant that had welled up from behind his optics.

Optimus put an arm around Bumblebee, a half hug to offer support. "I heard from the others that Sam is… gone."

"…I don't want to believe it." Bumblebee mumbled, leaning into the arm briefly, taking the comfort that his leader provided. "But I saw him. He was covered in so much blood… there was a trail of it everywhere he walked!" Bumblebee looked at Optimus with some degree of discomfort, and sorrow as his optics zoomed in on something on his chest. "It's all over your chassis…"

"What?" Optimus immediately looked down in shock, and there it was. Amidst the dried stains of energon and mech fluid, mixed with his own small injuries, was Sam's rose-red blood. It was splattered in a high concentration very close to his spark, with small trails of it on his side from where Sam had climbed to reach his chest. It made him feel sick. When he had come back to the realm of the living, he hadn't really noticed that Sam was so grievously injured- he had been surprised enough that he was alive and too worried about stopping Megatron and the Fallen to focus hard on matters beyond that. "I hadn't noticed… Primus." Optimus put a servo over his eyes- he didn't want to see it any longer. Not while the stark reminder of Sam's sacrifice was still splashed on his chassis. The guilt was eating him alive. 'How could I have been so blind?'

For Bumblebee, it was even worse. "I saw him, Optimus. There wasn't a place where there wasn't a wound on him. The last time I saw him was when he smiled at me as they loaded him into the helicopter." Bumblebee began to tremble again. "The sight is burned into my processor. I… I failed him, Optimus. He's dead, and there isn't even a hair of him left." He put his head in his servos, despair clawing at his spark and making him want to curl up and deactivate. "He was only nineteen human years old! How can I face his family, his friends? Primus, I can't even think about going back to his home knowing that he won't be there. He's gone… just gone."

Optimus helped him stand up on his two stabilizing servos. "Bumblebee… do not blame yourself. You're never alone. I will have to speak to them eventually. For now, we must carry on until we are back at the base. Sam would… he would have wanted that." His voice was full of raw, powerful emotion. He shared Bumblebee's pain, and held a great deal of his own.

"Sam… I miss him so much." Bumblebee clutched at the area in his chassis where his spark chamber was housed under his chest plates, conveying his sparkache (the Cybertronian equivalent of human heartbreak). It hurt more than when he had his legs blown off in Mission City, which goes to show that wounds of the heart (or in this case, spark) can be more painful than others care to believe.

"I miss him too, Bumblebee. We all do." Optimus began to shepherd him towards the waiting ships that would take them back to Diego Garcia, steel-faced features (no pun intended) showing nothing of the pain within. However, if you looked deep into his optics, there was a deep sorrow there, which was seeping into every facet of his chassis.

It was only when Bumblebee walked past the room that had been allotted as Optimus's private quarters later that night had he heard the sounds of the Autobot leader's mourning. The quiet sputtering engine noises sounded liked sobs, ones that the scout had hardly ever heard before. Bumblebee looked away, and continued walking to his quarters. He could not recharge, but he knew not to disturb the Prime.

It was his time to mourn.

* * *

When the three Seekers were close to the base, Starscream sent a message through their private link. **"Skywarp, we must not let anyone know we have the sparkling. You'll have to warp him into our quarters. It will be suspicious otherwise." **Starscream knew that quite a few of the Decepticons would rat him out to Megatron should they find a reason. Among those mechs he considered to be the greatest threat was the base's resident telepath- Soundwave. Soundwave didn't hate Starscream, but he could never tell what the 'con was thinking, what with the monotone voice, the visor, and the battle mask he constantly wore that masked emotion and expression. He was Megatron's most loyal soldier, and the Decepticon communications specialist. If there would be anyone to catch onto Starscream's latest secret, it would be him.

"**You got it. They won't even know I'm there," **Skywarp responded confidently. He warped to Starscream's side as they stopped briefly in the air behind a large building, so that Starscream could hand the sparkling to him. After transforming, Starscream carefully passed the sparkling to him, making sure not to disturb him in any way so that the little seeker mech wouldn't wake up earlier than he needed to. Skywarp, who was also in his bipedal form, took the sparkling gently and tucked him close to his warm chassis, positioning the sparkling in such a way that his arms hid the little body. **"I'll be waiting for you two slowafts." **Skywarp grinned before he phased out of view, ignoring the indignant cry from Starscream, who bristled at the small insult.

"**I'll show him slow… after I give him his punishment…" **He transformed back into his alt mode and revved his thrusters, raising him tens of feet high each time. He was stopped when Thundercracker nudged him with his nosecone.

"**You can do this some other time. If you come blasting towards the base, they may assume something is wrong." **Thundercracker was often the most level-headed of the seekers, and it showed. Starscream dipped his nosecone downward for an astrosecond, somewhat abashed. If Thundercracker were in his bipedal form, he would have smirked because of his next comment: **"besides, if anyone will be 'punishing' Skywarp, it'll be me."**

If Starscream could roll his optics, that is what he would be doing at the moment. **"Please, keep the kinky details to yourself. I don't need to purge my tanks the instant I get back in the base." **The two of them had begun to fly back to the base, which was becoming larger with every second they spent flying towards it.

"**Pfft. You're just jealous, Screamer. You **_**could **_**join us if you want." **Thundercracker wilily suggested.

"**You know I don't mind a good overload, but right now I have other things on my processor." **Starscream muttered, with his thoughts on the sparkling.

Thundercracker made an affirmative 'mhm' noise to his reply. They arrived in a klick, powering down and transforming back so that they could walk on their stabilizing servos through the base. It was forbidden for them to fly in the base unless there was an attack or emergency, yet Starscream tended to tempt fate and Skywarp loved pulling pranks. It was often that poor Thundercracker had to pick up the pieces (sometimes, literally, when Megatron was in a horrible mood) of his trinemates.

As they walked, they passed only two mechs, Dead End (who was glumly drinking away at an energon cube), and Breakdown (who was cringing- he was convinced they were staring at him while they walked by). Starscream shook his head; after the last disastrous battle in Egypt, many of their comrades were lost. All of the Constructicons except Hook were deactivated, with their bodies blown to smithereens. What was left of them was probably going to be dropped in the ocean, just as they had done with Megatron two years back. As far as he knew, the other Stunticons were stationed here, and the Combaticons had not yet arrived. 'If Megatron thinks that we can defeat the Autobots, he's sorely mistaken. Our energon supply is dwindling…'

After about a half a breem, they had arrived at Starscream's quarters. They were adjoined to Thundercracker and Skywarp's room through a connecting door, as they made it quite clear when they first joined the Decepticons that they refused to be separated. When they opened the door, they did not hear any immediate noises, just peaceful silence. They passed by a table and some chairs, to a secluded area near the back (out of sight from the door) where Starscream's large berth was positioned. On top of the berth was a sleepy looking Skywarp with the sparkling still recharging contentedly in his arms. He asked in their private link, **"what took you both so long?"**

Thundercracker just chuckled as he walked up to his bondmate while Starscream slipped onto the other side of the berth. Skywarp scooted closer to Starscream, and gestured for Thundercracker to join them. No words were needed; it was just an invitation to get closer. Thundercracker got next to his mate and put his arms around him before offlining his optics, and the lights went dark in Starscream's quarters for all of them as they put the stressful (and surprising) orn behind them.

* * *

It had only been about six cycles later when a muffled sob woke up Starscream from his peaceful recharge. The Air Commander immediately onlined his optics, and seeing as it was still quite dark in his quarters (due to the fact that the lights were off), he also activated his night vision. It was then and there that he could see the little sparkling had woken up while in Skywarp's embrace, and was shedding tears of lubricant from his bright blue optics. Starscream needed to take him out of Skywarp's grasp, but the Seeker was a mech who was not easily awoken from recharge. He also cuddled during his recharge cycle, which could be irritating if you were the one stuck in his grasp.

The sparkling made a mournful clicking noise as he reached for Starscream, wanting to be within what he deemed his Creator's comfortable arms. Starscream, feeling the programming within him tug at his already soft spark; ran a soothing servo over the little mech's head, hoping to calm him some before he began to cry louder (which could bring on unwanted attention). "Shh, do not cry sweetspark. Everything shall be fine." He decided to ping at Thundercracker's end of their link, knowing that the mech rose in a much more timely fashion than his bondmate.

"**Starscream to Thundercracker, online your optics please. The sparkling is awake."**

Starscream heard a deep groan from Thundercracker's end as the blue seeker onlined his optics and looked in Starscream's direction, towards the little sparkling. **"He's crying. What do you want me to do?"**

"**Help me get him out of Skywarp's grasp. He wants me to hold him but he is stuck in your bondmate's prison grip." **The concept of 'prison grip' came after one mission an orn long ago when Thundercracker had directly disobeyed orders to kill a family of alien species on another planet who happened to have direct knowledge to finding a source of more energon. No matter how much he knew his fellow Decepticons needed the energon supply, he just did not feel like getting the natives' blood on his servos. It was all rather pointless to him- he believed that they could perhaps talk it out, or if worse came to worse, _threaten _them- but not kill them. And so, Megatron decided to throw him in the brig for a good seven orns without adequate energon rations for his 'soft-sparked Autobot sympathizing.' Skywarp, not wanting his bondmate to suffer alone, refused to leave Thundercracker (he even grabbed onto the thick bars and wouldn't let go no matter how hard they pulled on his legs), and consequently, he was thrown into the brig as well. Starscream had come up with a fitting name for Skywarp's impressive grip, and tended to use the term when it was deemed appropriate.

"**Alright." **Thundercracker slid his fingers across sensitive side plating and panels to Skywarp's chest, drawing a shift in the other Seeker's position. **"Skywarp…" **Thundercracker purred, with one servo running down the side of Skywarp's arms, the other drawing lazy circles on the Seeker's abdomen. Skywarp loosened his grip in favor of cuddling towards the wonderfully talented source of the stimulation; and as a result, Starscream was able to take the sparkling out of Skywarp's reach and into his own so that he could soothe the tiny mech.

The sparkling seemed to calm now that he was in Starscream's arms, but it made a whining series of clicks as nuzzled his chassis. Starscream knew that while the presence of his spark calmed the mech, it did not completely stop his plaintive wails. It took about a klik for Starscream to figure it out, but when he did, he muttered **'slag' **in his thoughts. The sparkling had to be hungry.

Frantically, Starscream searched along his memory banks for any indication that he knew how to make sparkling-grade energon (whether machine-made or otherwise), which should be deeply engrained within his processor. The trouble was finding it; slaggit, he hadn't defragged his hard drive in _forever! _'I really need to remember to do this more often,' he groaned inwardly. But when he heard the tell-tale sniffling of the sparkling's impending cry, a surge of desperation (and perhaps luck) allowed him to locate the file. A puff of air exited his vents in relief, and he quickly reviewed it, cursing in his head (he wasn't going to allow the sparkling's first word to be 'slag' or any other colorful insults, not while he was protecting him). He was a little rusty, but he was certain that he could properly distill their low-grade energon into something digestible for the little mech.

The problem was that the 'homemade' sparkling-grade energon would take way too long to produce; so he had to make it through a machine. He could either use his own distilling machine… or he would have to break into Mixmaster's old lab in order to get the device that could produce sparkling-grade energon, and he was pretty sure Hook would get angry at him for disturbing that area. He had held some kind of affection for the other Decepticon (whether it was brotherly or romantic, he didn't know), and now that he and the other Constructicons were gone, he was feeling more sadistic than ever before. As a result, no one was eager to fight and get damaged (lest they be dragged into Hook's deadly grasp). He also wasn't sure if Hook would tell on him or not (he could _order _him not to, but he didn't want to anger the medic), but either way, he did not want to be discovered.

As if the sparkling had detected his hesitation; the tiny mech sniffled, one large tear of lubricant escaping his right optic and sliding down a metal face plate. Starscream wiped it away, stroking softly across his cheek. "The things I do for a sparkling… You're making me go soft," he muttered.

The only response he got was an expectant chirp, as if he were saying, 'what are you waiting for? I'm hungry!' Tiny blue optics looked at him, hunger present in the little seeker's gaze.

…It suddenly occurred to Starscream that the little mech didn't have a designation yet.

'Later,' he thought. He couldn't waste time now- if he didn't get the sparkling some sustenance soon he would protest a lot more audibly than he had before, and then it would be all over for him. Starscream could only imagine that Megatron would either kill him (just to see the Seeker suffer), or worse yet, train him to be an emotionless killing machine. Starscream didn't want that to happen to his sparkling- yes, he was calling him his- so he had to keep him secret. He couldn't deny that it was already happening- he had become attached to this little sparkling seeker, even though it had only been a few short joors. He could feel his spark reaching out for the little one; he felt the urge to care for the mech stronger than ever. It was a strange feeling, but already Starscream felt like a Creator to the tiny mech in his arms. He just couldn't suppress his paternal instincts. If Skywarp were awake and were able to read thoughts, he'd crack some joke about Starscream being the femme in a relationship, to which Starscream would fervently deny. He'd always wanted a sparkling of his own, but…

Skyfire, the one mech that Starscream had loved (but never told him that he did), had disappeared on a scientific mission long ago. In fact, Earth was the planet they had visited so long ago (before Starscream had ever joined the Decepticons) and it was on Earth that Starscream had lost Skyfire to an ice storm.

…He had never found his body.

Once he had nothing but curiosity and wonder for the little planet. Now all he could feel was bitterness and disdain for the inhabitants, and had acquired a distinct hatred for anything with a temperature of below freezing. It was the same icy winds that had taken Skyfire from him that had also stolen his compassion and most of what was left of his once-pleasant personality. The spark-wrenching experience had scarred him- he would never love another mech again. Sure, he had Thundercracker and Skywarp- but they were trine mates, and Seekers tended to be promiscuous only with each other (any others just made the Seeker appear to be a whore). Starscream had no romantic feelings for them, and a few vorns back Thundercracker and Skywarp had finally bonded. If anything, he considered them to be his best friends (which sometimes came with benefits).

If Skyfire were still with him… they could have been bonded. And the little sparkling that was nestled against his chassis could have been the sparkling they sparked together.

…It hurt, thinking about it. He'd spent the rest of his time upgrading his weapons… anything he could do to further his scientific knowledge. He had hoped to save Skyfire by building advanced machines, aspiring to create one that could service him by finding the mech. But he hadn't been allowed access back to Earth… But Megatron, that slagging aft, had tricked him into joining the militia with his skills. With time, he'd become the Air Commander… but what had he gained? Nothing. Megatron had never let him go back to Earth… that is, until he disappeared, looking for the AllSpark… but then the orns following that had been spent on finding it. Of course, the AllSpark had gotten destroyed, Megatron along with it. He had hoped that since he was gone, he could take command… and order the Constructicons to help him building advanced machinery. What he had gotten instead was the Fallen ordering him around… and demanding he care for dying hatchlings with limited fuel. It was spark-breaking…

But Starscream didn't have time to wallow any longer now… He needed to get the tiny seeker nourishment. He doubted he would have enough time to get some fully distilled from the machine in Mixmaster's lab before the young one got into a fuss, so he took a cube out of sub-space where he had stockpiled some (just in case) and his own energon distillation device. It was a small metal contraption that had a chamber that the energon was poured into after being filtered. There was a series of wires and mini-chambers that the energon would go in until it was finally emptied into a strong glass compartment that was detachable from the rest of the system. It was not as advanced as the one in Mixmaster's lab, nor as fast, but for now it would have to do.

He cracked it in the corner with one small tap of his finger and poured it into the top of the contraption, and set the system for distillation for ultra low-grade- the lowest he had. It wasn't exactly the best for the sparkling (at worst it would probably make his fuel tank slightly irritated), but it would fuel him and would be more safe than low grade. Starscream cursed inwardly for not having the foresight to adding a sparkling-grade setting to his machine, but it was in the past. He would just have to break into Mixmaster's lab later and steal his later.

The sparkling watched hungrily as the energon slowly dripped out of the hole in the bottom of the metal contraption, pining for a taste. Cyan blue optics were focused on the fluorescent pink liquid that was slowly collecting at the bottom, while his servos grabbed at the glass. Starscream sighed deeply and made a series of soft clicks to calm the sparkling down until the machine finished, which took another two breems. By that time, the little sparkling was trying to eat the glass itself, gnawing on the translucent container with sharp little dental plates. Starscream poked his little nose and shook his head. "Silly spark. Just wait." He unclasped the distilled energon container and put the metal compartment (plus the container) down on a table and then scooped up the sparkling, who shrieked indignantly at being moved from his comfy spot on the berth. "Shush little one. We must be quiet." He nervously tuned his audio receptors to enable higher audio signal reception as he brought him over to the table and sat down.

The sparkling opened his mouth to complain, but then his optics caught sight of the distilled energon, which was a pastel pink color and looked oh-so tasty. He reached for it plaintively, and Starscream decided to give him what he wanted. He settled the sparkling into the crook of his arm joint and tipped the glass so that the energon could trickle into the sparkling's mouth; the small stream being happily received by the little seeker, which gulped it down as fast as he could.

Starscream tipped it back so the stream stopped flowing, giving the little sparkling time to swallow and digest the energon. After the little mech finished what was in his mouth, he poured a little more and waited again. This process repeated for several more breems until the tiny mech finished about half of the cube… then made a small noise. Starscream stroked his wings softly, and gave him a good tap on the junction between those tiny wings so that the sparkling would get rid of any air bubbles that he sucked down with the energon. A little medium-pitched popping noise made itself apparent and Starscream smiled a bit, knowing that the air had been released through his vents.

The little silvery mech chirped at him happily, feeling finally satisfied. Starscream smiled at him, and noticed just how the little mech smiled at him back… copying his gesture. He lightly rubbed the sparkling's cheek with one finger, and the mech nuzzled into his touch. He exhaled a bit of warm air out of his vents in a sigh.

"Why do you have to be so cute, hmmm?" Starscream couldn't believe he had that word in his vocabulary, but what else described a sparkling? "You truly need a name…" As he contemplated names, he couldn't help but stare into the pure, honest blue optics of the other. They were very bright, and he almost felt that he could believe that the depths went on forever… for eons, with nothing but an expanse of innocence and pure unadulterated trust.

It took him only a few astroseconds before it came to him; it was pure and simple, already along the direct lines of what he was thinking.

The sparkling giggled when he brushed his small belly, curling up and trying to stop that large finger from 'tickling' him once more. He smiled softly at the gesture, wondering how the little mech could be so lively. Was he like that when he was young…? It had been so long… and the sparklings that they had attempted to raise were too weak and deprived of energon to even move around in their pods. He had forgotten what it was like to see a truly happy and healthy sparkling…

Starscream gently tapped the little mech's head and watched those startled blue optics look in his direction with surprise. "Hey, pay attention young one; you want to hear your new designation, don't you?" He crooned, and held one of those tiny servos in his own servo. "Your name shall be Aeon… Perhaps when you're older, you might want to change your designation, but from now on, that's what you shall be called… and you'll be mine, at least for as long as I can keep you. I don't know where your creators are or even if they're still alive… but I shall look after you for now. Skywarp and Thundercracker too, in case I have things to do and cannot be with you."

Aeon's optics shuttered for a few astroseconds before fully opening once more as he let out a puff of warm air. His optics looked somewhat dimmer, and he looked just about ready to shut down into an enticing recharge cycle again. Starscream held him closer to his chest, and the young sparkling snuggled into his chassis, nestled closely to his spark. He could only watch in rapture as the little one made a quiet clicking noise and powered down, optics growing black and systems settling to make softer sounds. Aeon's little servo curled around a finger, and soon, he was recharging peacefully.

Starscream slowly got up, as if he were wading through a large tank of molasses while taking care not to jostle the little being within his arms. He wanted Aeon to recharge as much as he needed to (and he would like another joor or two at least) and he didn't doubt that in another two or three joors he would probably need refueling. At least he had what was left of the ultra low grade to feed him, and from there he could get his servos on that advanced distillation machine left in Mixmaster's lab… hopefully without interference.

As he carried Aeon towards the berth, he prayed to Primus that the young one would never be taken from him by Megatron… the thought of his oh-so powerful _leader _touching an innocent sparkling made him want to purge. When Megatron had pushed him into a hatchling's pod after he'd onlined again, he was so furious when he saw the little hatchling fall to the ground and die. What little energon gel (made with energon and quite a bit of lubricant and other nutrients) that had been the pod and keeping the tiny Cybertronian alive was drained away, leaving the underdeveloped hatchling to writhe after being exposed to a world it wasn't prepared for, and without an adequate supply of fuel for it to keep functioning no less. It had perished before his optics.

'Primus… I don't even believe in you half the time, but for now I sincerely hope you exist. Please don't let Megatron take him away from me… Aeon must live. Watch over him, Primus, and oversee his life as it develops… do not take what could be the last sparkling away. Take even one of those Autobot scum bags- no wait; I changed my mind- take Megatron! That would make my life better… Either way, I don't care- just don't take him away… I've already lost Skyfire. I don't need to lose Aeon or my trinemates- the only mechs who take me seriously… watch over them, Primus, or I'll give you chaos from the Pit when I meet Unicron.'

Those were his last words from his thoughts before he powered down into recharge next to his trinemates, the sparkling cradled within his arms.

* * *

Upon waking up a few joors later to a whimpering Aeon, Starscream was certain that everything would be fine once he got up and soothed him- maybe gave him the rest of the energon cube- and if Aeon wanted to play, he'd settle for playing with him. Hoisting the little sparkling into his arms, he made soft trilling noises to assure him he wasn't alone. When he looked around, he noticed that Skywarp was not in the room, but Thundercracker was still recharging on the berth.

Aeon rubbed at his soft blue optics, sniffling and curling closer to Starscream's cockpit in an attempt to derive security from his embrace. Starscream wrapped his arms a little more firmly around the little Seeker and went over to the table… not really looking at the table, but staring ahead. He sat down, and made sure his wings didn't scrape against anything. He also watched the sparkling, intent on keeping the little mech from bumping against anything. He reached for the cube, wondering if the little sparkling would like to refuel more, and grasped the cube.

But as he looked at it, there was one crucial component missing.

The Primus-fragging energon was gone…

And another familiar lavender mech was gone too…

"**SKYWARPPPPPPP!!!" **

Skywarp flinched from the sheer volume of Starscream's voice in their private link and ducked under the table, shivering. His fragging audio receptors were ringing as he covered them, hoping that the obnoxious echoes would fade away. Grumbling, he muttered, **"What's your problem? You almost blew out my audio circuits, Screamer!"**

"**I don't give a slag. Did you drink what was left of the energon in the cube on the table?"**

Skywarp felt dread rise in his fuel tank as the aforementioned energon sloshed around inside. **"Umm… perhaps I have?" **

"**You pit spawn! That was for Aeon!"**

"**Who the frag is Aeon?" **Was there any new recruits that he hadn't been told about? Skywarp tried to think back, but came up with a blank.

Back in their quarters, Starscream put his head in the palms of his servos. **"The sparkling you maxi turkey!"**

"**I'M NOT A TURKEY!!!" **Skywarp wailed from beneath the table. **"You've been hanging out with that little punkaft Rumble haven't you?"**

"…**No, but the fact that you get so irritated because of it makes me laugh at your pain. Now get your pit-spawned aft back here, before I rip your skidplates off!"**

Skywarp did as he was told, bringing a spare cube with him and appeared back in their quarters. He couldn't help but notice the sniffling of the little sparkling and felt immensely guilty for drinking the energon. "I'm sorry Starscream; I didn't know it was the sparkling's…"

Starscream grumbled something under his breath and then he looked at him with a wicked smile crawling onto his face. "If you're truly sorry, then you'll do _exactly _as I say and break into Mixmaster's lab."

Skywarp's jaw practically unhinged in his shock. "You're asking me to do _what?_"

"Are you deaf as well as stupid, Skywarp?" Starscream sighed once more, finding it was one of the more quiet noises he could make to express his frustration. "You're going to warp into his lab and you're going to get the device I need to distill sparkling-grade energon for little Aeon here. What you drank was going to be his next meal, you twit."

"B-but I don't even know what it looks like!" Skywarp whimpered slightly. He was willing to do it for the sparkling (who could resist that adorable face?), but he was scared sparkless of what could happen to him if he got caught. Oh, he could deal with Megatron (he wouldn't truly kill him, they needed him for his teleporting ability), but it was _Hook _he was scared of. You never knew what the medic could do to you under the pretense of doing 'repairs.'

Starscream waved that off with one flick of his wrist. "Please, I'll send you a databurst. I've seen it before. It shouldn't take more than a klik or too as long as that crazy fragger didn't hide it somewhere… and you'd _better not get caught_, do you understand me?"

"…I won't, I promise!" Just as he was about to warp, he stopped and took a few steps closer to Starscream. "Can I have a kiss for luck?"

Starscream groaned and shoved Skywarp away from him with his free servo. "I'm not in the mood; you've already pushed my patience today. Go kiss your bondmate. I don't know how he could recharge that long…"

Skywarp's particularly lewd grin disturbed the red, white, and blue Seeker more than necessary as he murmured, "you should see him after a night of 'facing, Screamer." He went over to his bondmate's side and pressed a quick kiss to the other's lips before sashaying back towards Starscream, satisfaction on his face upon making Starscream grimace.

"Oh shut the frag up. Get out of here." He sent the databurst to Skywarp and then remarked with steel-faced features (no pun intended), "and if you get caught… don't you _dare _mention the sparkling. Blame me if you want, just don't let anyone know about him. It's imperative that we get the device."

Skywarp's red optics focused on that small little seeker, tracing Aeon's young form with unexpectedly tender optics. He wasn't the smartest mech, but he knew just how important it was to keep the sparkling alive. He was just as devastated as Starscream when the hatchlings had perished… It had truly broken his spark. To see a sparkling alive and healthy lifted his spirits, especially since it was a Seeker just like them. He had to make it up to Aeon and get that device.

He glanced up to regard Starscream with serious optics. "I'll do my best Screamer. If I'm not back in five breems, use this." He tossed him the cube he'd tucked into his sub-space from the rec room. Then he turned, and after a slight flash of light, he was gone.

End of chapter two

* * *

**Anj**: I thought this was a good place to stop as any. It's a little more than a thousand words longer than the last chapter and I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. Thank you all again for supporting me! As for Sam's name, I spent _days _trying to find a good name for him… this was the only one I really liked. There might be an extension (like a second name) added later if I get more creative. X'D In the next chapter, Skywarp does Mission Impossible (or is it?), among other things. ;D

Also, one lucky reviewer will get an opportunity to request a special scene with the three seekers & Aeon or other Decepticons or a little one-shot written for them. I'll only be able to count reviewers who are logged in though, unless I am provided an email with an anonymous review. How am I supposed to reply if I don't have an email? Anyway, I'll throw your names into a hat and draw one. Whatever name I draw I'll contact. I'll probably do this thing in a week or two.

**Edit: 12/1/09. The drawing was done today at 6:18 PM (in my timezone) and congrats to WishingWanderer, who won! A PM has been sent out, and if all goes well I may do this again for the next chapter. Thanks again everyone!**

Anyway, please review! Having over 100 alerts is freaking awesome but the reviews are really what please me. And I would appreciate having no flames- I prefer constructive criticism. This isn't beta'd. So please review, or Hook will dismantle you as he gives you this stare of disdain: ಠ_ಠ


	3. While Your Lips Are Still Red

**Anj**: and so, we're finally back. **Shot **

**Disclaimer**- I don't own any part of Transformers or the song titles I am borrowing.

**Dedicated to**: Everyone who still reads this: thank you so very much. Also to **ShiftingWinds125**, who mentioned my fanfic in one of hers. I'm honored! Happy writing! (Go find it people!)

**Note**- there will be a part where Starscream remembers more of the past he had with Skyfire, as per request by **WishingWanderer**.

Lyrics come from the featured chapter title song, 'While Your Lips Are Still Red' by Nightwish. Check it out, it's a beautiful song! The point of this song being the chapter title is... Do things while you still can, or you'll lose your chance! And your happiness. I've learned this the hard way.

'_Kiss while your lips are still red_

_While he`s still silent_

_Rest while bosom is still untouched, unveiled_

_Hold another hand while the hand`s still without a tool_

_Drown into eyes while they`re still blind_

_Love while the night still hides the withering dawn'_

* * *

**Diebus Fatalibus**

**Chapter three: While Your Lips Are Still Red**

"Speech"

'Thought'

"**Cybertronian speech/Comm link speech"**

_:Bond link speech:_

_Flashback_

Inside Constructicon Quarters; Location, Mixmaster's Lab

Normal POV

Skywarp could never be a spy. He knew this, Starscream and his mate knew this, slag, even all of the Decepticon and Autobot forces knew he could not be a part of the special ops like Soundwave's cassettes were. His teleportation ability made him valuable, but the problem was not that he wasn't smart enough to pull off the jobs required of him; it was just that he was too noisy, too clumsy, and did not have the processor speed to keep up with the other operatives. He was fast, sure, but only in the air, and he couldn't hide like the Casseticons could.

To put it bluntly, he was _so _not cut out for this job.

The large lavender and black Seeker peered around Mixmaster's lab nervously, wings twitching in mild distress as he attempted (keyword, _attempted_) to remain still while waiting for Hook to come barging in and find him. He had unfortunately landed on a large pipe that was lying on the floor, and his weight made the pipe roll, causing him to land rather ungraciously on his now-sore aft. Cursing inwardly, he had leapt to his pedes and listened intently, hoping that the nosy Constructicon wouldn't come in. If he did, Skywarp would be caught, and then so thoroughly slagged that once he was repaired, he wouldn't know up from down! Not to mention his body parts may end up in strange places, like his wings would be glued to his aft and his pedes replaced with servos… You just never knew! Skywarp's overactive imagination was on hyper drive, and it took him a full two breems to realize that he did not hear any footsteps coming.

"Score one for the Warpster!" He congratulated himself, and patted himself on the shoulder. His wings, joined to his spinal plating and to some degree melded to most of his back, fluttered a little as he began to survey the spacious room.

His gaze first fell on what was right in front of him. There were quite a few aisles in front of him, laying just a pede's length beneath his spark chamber in height, covered with various objects. These counters had a film of dust on perhaps eighty percent of their surface area, except for darker patches of space where it looks like someone had disturbed the items there. Skywarp's optics zoomed in as he could see several ancient-looking datapads (with odd symbols on them, no less!) shifted from their earlier position, and as he drew closer, he saw claw marks on the edges of the datapads. Even though he was tempted to scan the contents of those datapads, he knew he had to find that distillation device first. Maybe he'd sneak back in here some time (as long as Hook was nowhere near, of course!) and take a gander at those pads…

The lavender Seeker inspected the various items scattered across the counters and began to evaluate their level of importance. Cracked and dusty datapads (sans symbols)? He didn't care to look at them now. Large flame-producing apparatuses for superheating minerals and various elements? (1) Fun to play with, but not that interesting. Ebony, shiny rocks and clear, sparkling crystals lying in a sifting pan on a tray of sand? 'Oooh, shiny…' He'd pocketed one such crystal into sub-space and peeked in the cupboards underneath those counters, red optics scanning the chambers, hoping to find the device. Instead, he found more datapads, more tools for mixing and carrying out experiments, and a container he found out that held sulfur inside. "Oh slag, that's just nasty!" He pinched the bridge of his olfactory sensor organ and tried in vain to clear the scent out of his tubing, which he was sure was now slightly burnt on the inside. He hurriedly backed away from the container, and in the process, backed into the aisle right behind him, jarring several datapads and a graduated cylinder from their perilous positions next to the edge. A rather unmechly shriek escaped his mouth and he hurriedly shut it as his servos were bombarded with the four datapads and the cylinder. He'd managed to catch two of the datapads and the cylinder, but the other two devices clattered very noisily onto the ground.

Swallowing roughly, Skywarp listened for a couple of very tense kliks, convinced that Hook was going to barge into the room at any astrosecond, but all he heard was a couple of squeaks as some petromice decided to dart near his pedes. That had about done it for Skywarp, who jumped about several meters into the air and hovered above the aisle, terrified of setting foot onto the floor. "Gross! So slagging gross!" He _hated _petromice! They were vile and full of dirty viruses that could cause mechs to get sick or even rust! They shouldn't even _be _on base, let alone exist! Those glitching things were _fat _too! One such petromouse blinked its beady yellow optics at him as it chewed on a piece of sulfur, little metal claws covered in the yellow stuff; before it waddled away, squeaking merrily at his expense.

"Damn you too, you piece of scrap. You'll get yours…" His narrowed optics hurled imaginary death rays at it as he slowly came back down to settle on the floor. Once both his stabilizing servos rested on the ground, he shut the door to the cupboard containing the sulfur with one heel-thruster (though he didn't notice that it bounced back open) and began to walk in the opposite direction, away from where the petromouse had left. This area was far more spacious, holding what appeared to be a cleanser stall for emergency spills, a sink, many cabinets on the walls, and a fume hood that still contained liquid chemicals. Immediately, his interest was piqued and the petromice forgotten as he walked over to the fume hood.

"Holy…" There were far more colors in these vials than Skywarp was sure existed; the fume hood was at least as wide as he was tall; double the length and divided into various subchambers to ensure that any gas resulting from the mixing of certain chemicals did not interact with others. Knowing Mixmaster, more than half of these would cause explosions. There had been at _least _five memorable explosions in the last vorn before Mixmaster's death that had been nothing to scoff at, though everyone knew that crazy fragger Wheeljack, chief Autobot Engineer, exploded things practically every orn. He could see how it would be hard not to make things explode… there were so many pretty liquids and rocks and substances that he would be hard-pressed _not _to just mix and mix, and possibly prank others with, and-

'Oh SLAG what the Pit was that?' A loud creak and several scuffling noises outside the lab had made themselves apparent to Skywarp's audio receptors and he dropped to his knees, drawing his wings in and huddling as best as he could behind the fume hood. Shivers wracked his frame as he heard those noises come closer to the door near the southern part of the lab, not too far from his location. A creak again, plus a loud scraping and Skywarp knew someone must be opening one of the heavy metal doors guarding the tiny hall that was the entrance to the lab. Fear took over as the dominant emotion as Skywarp waited, somewhat thankful that the visual side of the fume hood (from the entrance to the lab) was not his side, but rather the opposite one of his. Luckily, after about half a klik, it seemed as if the intruder had changed their mind, and it had gone quiet…

Skywarp was just about to sigh in relief until another loud _creak _sounded, and with it, footsteps. _Someone was coming into the room_. If he could turn gray, without dying, or losing a large amount of armor, he would be doing so right now, because he was fragged!

The ominous sounds of doom approaching had his joints feeling weak and his spark pulsing in ways that felt extremely uncomfortable; his fingers clenched and unclenched, and he felt like he might purge from the arrival of his discovery. The sounds of the mech as they began to walk towards his location had him fervently praying to Primus that he would be granted a swift, merciful death, and give the leftovers of his energon rations to his bondmate Thundercracker, Starscream and Aeon. 'I wanted to get over energized one last time…' He could feel the shift in the air as the distinct hum of another mech's systems permeated the silence along with their soft, shuffling steps. A soft huffing noise and a displeased crack of a metal bar against the side of the fume hood nearly had Skywarp shedding tears as his worst fear was confirmed- that Hook was _here_- and he seemed furious.

"_More _petromice?" The chief medic of the Decepticons shared at least one thing in common with Skywarp, and it was that petromice were the most disgusting pests alive (although to some Decepticons, humans were at the top of the list). Hook could see clearly that some little glitches had gotten into the sulfur _again_- it was all over the floor- and there were various items that were in places that they shouldn't be. "Frag be to Unicron. Ravage had said he'd killed them all!" He stomped over to the aforementioned mess and found the spilled container of sulfur that the mice had gotten into. He quickly closed it and set it up onto the counter, where it would be harder for them to get to. He then bent down, withdrawing a cleaning rag and a dust pan of sorts to clean up the mess, giving Skywarp an opportunity to scamper to the backside of the fume hood, where Hook couldn't see him.

This operation, though dangerous, was strangely liberating, Skywarp thought. He was scared sick to his tanks that he would be discovered, but at the same time, he was exhilarated at the thought of getting away without being found under Hook's own optics. Now, if only Hook would just leave, he could resume his search for the device, and get away scotch-free! It'd been almost ten breems, and that poor sparkling had to be starving! He had to go. If only someone would distract Hook…

"HOOK! You had better be in there! I need repairs _now_!"

And just like that, as if someone had been listening to his thoughts (hopefully not Soundwave!) Blitzwing's somewhat nasal voice sounded from outside the lab's doors. Just a few astroseconds later, the door sprang open and hit the wall of the lab with an extremely loud thump, and the triple-changer burst in. Skywarp almost jumped again; catching himself at the last minute, and dampened the sounds of his vents, hoping he wouldn't be discovered if Blitzwing glanced his way… thankfully, he looked extremely intent on dragging Hook out of the room.

A clear gash was torn down the length of Blitzwing's back, cutting across circuitry and plating he just knew were sensitive, and it was easy to see that Blitzwing had some kind of joint damage from the way he limped towards Hook. Skywarp felt some small pang of sympathy for him, but at the same time, he wanted to thank whoever did it for saving his aft. Hook, clearly incensed, growled something incoherent and followed Blitzwing out the room, closing the door behind them.

This time Skywarp did indeed audibly sigh in relief and he sunk down against the fume hood, letting go of his fear in one soft discharge of air. 'That was so close.'

After a few kliks of listening to ensure that they were not coming back in, Skywarp stood up, and resumed his search. After another breem, he finally managed to find something that looked just like what Starscream described, just bigger! Triumphant, he tried to find a sound byte off the human Internet to describe his discovery… 'Maybe I'll play this 'Legend of Zelda' one first. Or this one from Final Fantasy VII! Hmm, so many choices…' (2)

With a happy cackle, he warped away from the accursed, infested place and back to their trine's quarters, happy to be free…

* * *

Meanwhile, with the Autobots, not all was well.

Upon the discovery of her son's death, Judy Witwicky had gone into vehement denial, denial so strong she was swimming in Egyptian waters. She had gone back and forth between severe depression, and fits of extreme fury. This fury was often directed at herself, the Decepticons, or the unlucky sap that was in her field of vision. Poor Ron often had to drag her away to soothe her, even though he was clearly suffering too. He just couldn't believe that his son, the only one he'd ever have, was now gone… His boy, who had barely had a chance to start college, had only lived nineteen years on Earth. He would never again argue over Sam accidentally stepping on his grass, tell him off for missing his curfew, give him advice, or see that look in Sam's eyes that told Ron he was glad to have him for a father. Every little thing he had taken for granted had become so precious, and both he and Judy surrounded themselves with as much items they could that reminded them of Sam…

But while Ron had reluctantly begun to accept that his boy was gone, Judy did not. Her mother's intuition told her something was not right… Her boy had to be alive still. The EMTs that had arrived on the scene and taken Sam's body away had never brought it back… in fact, the EMTs themselves had quickly made themselves scarce upon landing on the carrier ship that took the Autobots back to Diego Garcia, and she had not been able to get any names yet… Suspicious, oh, but she would get them. It would only take the sight of a still body with no pulse to convince her that her boy was dead. Judith Marie Witwicky refused to accept the cold callous tone Secretary Galloway had given her, or the Purple Heart that the President himself had sent to their family. Something was not quite right…

And despite her thoughts, only a few people would come to believe her… Mikaela did first, and Bumblebee would later on.

Mikaela believed her because she too, was grieving for the loss of her boyfriend, and her first love who she never heard a confession from. He was the sweetest (although not necessarily the most tactful) guy she'd had the pleasure of knowing, and she knew her life would have remained as monotonous and black and white without his influence. It was thanks to him and the Autobots that she had truly opened her eyes and got her father back and she would never, ever forget that.

The situation for Bumblebee was much different than it was for either of the two females. Bumblebee held no biological relationship with Sam; but rather, the deepest friendship between the two species that no other Cybertronian had. It was true that Optimus Prime had a great relationship with Sam as well, but Bumblebee had met Sam _first_. He had witnessed more growth in his friend in two years than he had himself grown in the last few vorns. He was young, but Sam was barely new-sparked in comparison and to a Cybertronian, to have a life cut so short was one of the most sorrowful tragedies in their world.

Bumblebee was Sam's guardian, and everyone knew it. Since the day Sam had driven him away from Bobby Bolivia's, he had been privy to Sam's fears, his hopes, and his dreams. He learned about Sam's likes and dislikes, his disgust for all things Disney (except the classic films of course), and accidentally stumbled upon Sam's collection of what he called "eye candy." Actually, Bumblebee was quite certain that it could be labeled "car porn" but wisely chose to keep Sam's secret. After all, _his _alt mode had had the most images within the collection!

The point of it all was, through the good and the bad, the fights and the peaceful times, that Bumblebee had come to know his charge better than any Cybertronian there. Sam had confessed that there were secrets that only Bumblebee knew, and there were memories that Bumblebee could not hide from him. They were partners… best friends. Sam hated it when anyone treated the Cybertronians like sparkless machines, and had gone to so many lengths to prove others wrong and keep the Autobots here on Earth when so many governments wanted them gone (unless the Autobots shared their weaponry and technology). Bumblebee admired Sam's courage, his spirit, and his open mind. In his optics, Sam had become the most precious person to him in his existence.

So when he had saw Sam's bloody, dying form, he became paralyzed by a deep spark-stopping fear. There was an extremely slim chance that Sam could make it out alive in his present condition; a chance that was depleting every astrosecond, and he would have screamed for Ratchet if he hadn't been busy with Optimus. He could barely hold back Sam's creators as they demanded to get to him… They could only watch as Sam was loaded into the helicopter, and he smiled at them wearily.

To Bumblebee, he wasn't sure if that meant Sam was conceding, because he had read that subtle message in Sam's eyes… but it hadn't computed in his processor. He felt like he had failed, not only as a guardian, but also as Sam's best friend. He didn't know where they had taken his body… Bumblebee now had the hollowest feeling in his spark that needed filling, and he wanted his boy back.

Though each individual mentioned above believed their pain was worse, everyone mourned Sam. At the funeral that NEST personnel and Ron had put together, Judy had to be dragged out of the room. She had had another one of her "fits" and firmly insisted Sam was still among the living. Ron, who had already accepted the passing of his son; had not wanted to be near her, finding that he couldn't bear to hear the same heartbreaking words uttered again. Bumblebee decided to leave just breems later, sick to his tanks of hearing some stranger (a priest) preach about their loss like he knew Sam when he did not. He'd gotten a sharp look from Ironhide as he started walking out and a message through their comm. systems.

'**Bumblebee, where are you going? The funeral is not over.'**

Bumblebee shook his helm at his former mentor and guardian. **'I can't do this 'Hide. This fool has no idea what he is saying. He never knew Sam, not my Sam.'**

Ironhide was quiet for about a klik before he replied, **'I see… I know you're hurting Bumblebee, but I don't think you should be alone. Go check on Sam's femme creator, just to make sure she's not coming back with a bat or something worse.' **Ironhide had quite a bit of respect for Judy's ability to strike fear in most men and surprisingly enough, some of the Autobots. She had a strong arm for a human and a sharper wit, and was just as protective of her child as a Seeker was of sparklings. This commanded respect from Ironhide, even if she was overly hostile towards anyone with a spark at the moment.

Bumblebee's optics darkened a little. He did not wish to see Judy. Every time he saw her, he was reminded of his failure to protect Sam. Granted, Sam wanted him to protect his parents in Egypt, but he should have come back sooner. If he had, Megatron might have never had shot Sam and Sam could have saved Optimus without losing his life. Sighing, he resigned himself to the task. He couldn't deny his mentor much of anything. **'I will…'**

Ironhide nodded solemnly. **'Good.' **At that, Bumblebee moved to duck out the door.** 'And Bee?' **

He paused, turning to look at Ironhide with curious optics. **'…Yes?'**

'**Hurting yourself won't bring him back. You and Optimus need to realize that.' **

The yellow scout looked away. His door wings were stiff, his optics dim, and he was trembling. He knew Optimus was hurting, and he had seen in it in the posture and attitude of their cherished leader. He hadn't forgotten the sounds of Optimus's grief, and Optimus had seen the evidence of his mourning. Despite this, he knew the hurt would not go away for a long, long time. **'I am aware of that. It will take a while for it to sink into my processor though.' **He finally left, hearing nothing but the droning words of the priest echo in his audios…

* * *

At the time Skywarp had warped to Mixmaster's lab, Starscream had been attempting to keep Aeon distracted until the purple Seeker arrived with the energon distillation machine. Thundercracker was still recharging soundly with red optics shuttered and his features slack in a peaceful expression, and was lying on his stomach. Starscream was envious of him. 'He looks entirely too comfortable.'

The red Seeker was rocking a distressed Aeon in his arms as he walked around the room, trying to appease the little sparkling. It had been only two breems since Skywarp left and already he was counting down the astroseconds until he would be back. Aeon wasn't making much noise, but he knew that as time went on, that could change. So he continued to rub those little wings, soothing the tiny Seeker, and kept him close to his spark. Aeon made low clicks and curled up a little more, whining as his near-empty fuel tank kept reminding him of his low energy levels. Starscream gazed at that tiny face and caressed Aeon's cheek with a tender claw, and hummed to the sparkling. "Shh, little spark. It will be just a few breems, nothing more. All will be well."

Aeon just shuttered his optics and whimpered once before falling silent, slipping into an uneasy recharge as they both waited for Skywarp's return. The red, blue, and white Seeker continued to walk, lost in his thoughts and memories of another time… a time when things seemed much simpler… a time when there was no conflict.

_Over forty-nine thousand vorns ago, Starscream and his companion Skyfire were currently exploring the remains of an old city on a distant planet. The city was decrepit and falling apart, but that wasn't the reason they were there. They were there because all ancient texts pointed to a possible energy source trapped in the atmosphere there, and the two scientists were taking readings of the energy levels in the air, soil, rocks, and water. They had hypothesized that the energy readings were coming from the planet, and not from any outside sources._

_Starscream was currently measuring the levels in a pool of electric lava, using a grappling hook that held him securely in place (from a rope tied around his middle) so he could take readings without disturbing the surface of the lava from hovering over it. He was using a metallic probe of sorts that was inserted into the lava in order to get the readings, while Skyfire worriedly held onto the rope, somewhat afraid that the rope would snap._

"_Are you almost finished Starscream?" The shuttle asked. The gentle giant of a flier was one of the tallest mechs ever to grace the Science Academy, and also one of the most intelligent. His optics were a soft blue, and his paint job consisted of an eggshell white, with red and blue accents, not unlike Starscream, though the Seeker was at least half his size. Skyfire was the most level headed flier Starscream had ever worked with and definitely the most patient. All his other partners could not stand to work with him longer than an orn, and Starscream hadn't been the easiest to start out with… but the Seeker was the best of their class; extremely intelligent, one of the most skilled fliers there and also so breathtakingly beautiful… Starscream knew he was too, and often flaunted his talents. Skyfire, with his own set of remarkable attributes, was able to complete and balance out the Seeker's callous attitude into a more civil, even _happier _personality. It had been about two hundred vorns since they had begun working together, and there was no better team present working for the Academy of Scientific Advancement on Cybertron. _

_While Skyfire continued to fret over him, Starscream nonchalantly ignored him while he eyed the readings with interest as he gathered more data on their surroundings. They had decided to do the lava last simply because it was the farthest away from where they'd landed… and to make sure that there was no major seismic activity in the area that could cause an eruption while they were there. Luckily, there had been no spills in the past one hundred fifty vorns, so they had relatively stable areas to gather data from, and undisturbed rock and sediment to collect. Absentmindedly, he began to calculate the amount of potential energy output from the last eruption (which was the reason why the civilization living nearby had perished) based on what he'd learned and what he'd gathered, and called up to the large mech perched on the cliff, "it shall be another breem. You'll love the conclusions I've come up with!"_

_Skyfire peered down at the electric lava nervously and noted how bolts of light continued to race on the surface. It was kind of beautiful in a way, but undoubtedly dangerous… kind of like a certain Seeker he happened to adore. While he trusted Starscream's judgment (most of the time), he never was complacent. He and Starscream had had their fair share of scuffles and perilous flights just from exploring uncharted worlds, and had no desire to lose his partner, his _best friend _and secret love to something easily avoidable (if noticed right away). _

_Two klicks later, he saw movement, and with a knee-jerk reaction he immediately yanked Starscream up and away from the surface of the lava, sending the Seeker flying up and into Skyfire's broad chassis. Large servos captured that lithe frame and shielded the Seeker from potential harm as they jettisoned away from where a thick plume of lava skyrocketed upward. If that had hit, Starscream would have been in for a world of hurt… complete with melted plating, scorched circuits, critical temperature overload, and to top it all off; those conditions were a part of the perfect set up to spark failure, which resulted in deactivation. All Starscream had heard was his name yelled before the rope tied around his middle was pulled so hard and fast that he had flown up into the air. As he looked down, Starscream saw the volatile lava sparking from where it had made contact… with…_

"_Skyfire, you made me drop the temperature and energy meter!" Starscream felt like an idiot once the words left his mouth, but he couldn't help it. They were going to be in some serious trouble for losing that! He pushed his way out of Skyfire's arms (not that he hadn't liked being there, but he needed to be able to look Skyfire in the optics) and hovered using his own thrusters._

_A funny sound started to make its way out of Skyfire's turbines before Starscream recognized it as a sort of laughter… The kind that made one feel like a total idiot, like a malfunctioning glitch for daring to say such a sentence at such an inappropriate time. That incredulous laugh turned into a choking noise before Skyfire got a hold of himself and shook his helm. "Starscream… It does not matter. You would have died if you had been where you were an astrosecond longer!"_

_Starscream knew he would have been dead if it weren't for Skyfire's paranoia and quick thinking, but he was unsure of what to say. The way Skyfire was looking at him… he could see a bit of fear, much worry, and relief at Starscream's untouched plating. He wished he looked at him with more than just friendly affection… if he had Skyfire's love, perhaps he'd be a little less reckless, but it had to take more than his grace, speed, flight skills, intelligence, and slagging good looks to get the dense shuttle to notice _anything_. It was frustrating, and Starscream muttered, "yes, but I lost that device! It's so slagging expensive that it will take at least a hundred orns out of our research grant just to replace it!"_

_The shuttle's cerulean optics were quite stern as he coldly reprimanded his fellow explorer and friend. "Starscream, while it may be true that the device is important and expensive, you should do well to remember that material things can be replaced. If I hadn't done what I did…" He shook his head, and put his servos on Starscream's shoulders in order to make sure the Seeker understood the gravity of his next statement: "I can replace that machine, Starscream, but I can't replace _you."

_The tricolored Seeker looked shocked and abashed at the same time. He expelled warm air out of his vents in a soft sigh and took a klik to get his bearings on straight before he spoke. "Skyfire, I'm sorry, but…" _

_Skyfire raised his wings upward and then dropped them in a little shrug, like he was trying to play it off, but he knew how he felt. His spark had seized briefly in panic and instantaneous relief upon seeing the Seeker unharmed and when Starscream had dismissed that, it hurt him just a bit… Though some of that hurt disappeared when he heard Starscream's apology. The proud Seeker _never _apologized lightly. Sighing himself, he refuted, "but nothing Star. I would rather get reprimanded for losing a piece of equipment than lose my first partner, my best friend."_

_Starscream puffed his chest up a bit and turned away. "I suppose I should have to keep that in mind. After all, you'd be lost without my guidance."_

_A small smile tugged at Skyfire's lips as he detected the subtle changes in emotions in his friend's energy field. He sensed a hint of remorse and a dash of relief mixed in among embarrassment and a slowly blossoming taste of contentedness in Starscream, and it was enough for him. "Of course. I'll be your partner for many vorns to come…"_

_As much as the flier wanted to deny it, Skyfire had always known exactly what to say to make him feel like the most powerful mech on Cybertron. "I'm glad, Skyfire. I expected nothing less of you." He transformed into his sleek jet alt mode and just before firing up his thrusters, he remarked, "oh, and don't call me Star!"_

_All he heard was the melodious laugh of the shuttle before everything faded to black…_

And Starscream became of his surroundings once more. Blinking dazedly, he slowly regained self-awareness and realized he had been lost in his memory for a full five breems. He looked down into his arms, expecting the sparkling, but found nothing. Before he could panic, a servo clamped down onto his shoulder and attempted to steer him around. His automatic reaction was to grab that servo and twist it around, but a quick knee to his gut had him doubling over, and consequently realizing he had just tried to attack Thundercracker. Despite the pain, guilt rose through him and Starscream looked up to see the cerulean blue Seeker with a frown on his face and Aeon in his arms. He was about to open his mouth to apologize, but Thundercracker cut in before he could speak.

"**You were thinking about him again, weren't you." **Thundercracker did not phrase it as a question, but as a statement with an accusation enclosed with it. The tall Seeker's handsome features were twisted into somewhat of a displeased look, and with one servo he grasped Starscream's arm and helped pull him to his pedes. Aeon, wide awake and hunger pangs forgotten, watched the two of them interact with curiosity as he clutched a large finger.

Starscream rubbed the area where Thundercracker had so rudely kneed him and quietly murmured, **"I had not wanted to, but it came about anyway."**

"**You can't keep doing this to yourself, Starscream. He has been missing for over forty nine thousand vorns. He joined the Matrix a long time ago. You cannot keep believing that you will find him one day." **The stern Seeker's features softened a little as Aeon tugged on his finger and cooed, nuzzling the servo that came up to lightly caress the little one's cheek.

From Starscream's position, it was clear that none of them could deny the little seekerlet the attention he craved… even though they were killers; they could not disregard this tiny life. This fragile, new-sparked existence that was present in a body only three feet tall and didn't even weigh an eighteenth of their weight. Aeon, though barely ten joors old, had suddenly bound them together more tightly than before.

Even though he knew Thundercracker meant well, Starscream could not bend to his will. Somewhere in his spark, he still believed he would find Skyfire… just as Judy believed she would find her son. To believe in something was to have complete faith in someone or something, whether it was that humans believed the sky was blue, or how Seekers believed they were kings of the sky. It didn't matter. Starscream wouldn't give up that tiny bit of hope that still lurked inside. For all his treachery and cold demeanor to others, there were still a few sparks that knew the true Starscream was still with them today…

Thundercracker sighed, and shook his head with a wry smile. **"You are one of the most stubborn glitches I know, Screamer. Don't ever change."**

He would have replied that he didn't plan on changing, but as it were, they were interrupted by a lightning fast distortion in the air several feet away as their purple trinemate appeared into view. Immediately, Starscream jumped to attention and put his blue servos on his slender hips. "It's about slagging time you got here!"

Skywarp huffed and passed the large distillation device to Starscream, who eagerly accepted it and began fiddling with the controls to get sparkling-grade energon distilled for Aeon. "So-rry. I would have been here sooner, but I had unexpected guests."

At that response, both Thundercracker's and Starscream's optics narrowed and turned back to look at him pointedly. "I trust you did not bother them?" Came Thundercracker's crispy response. His wings were slightly stiff, though he was petting the sparkling's wings soothingly, keeping the little one from making noise.

Recognizing that he had to keep his answers vague (just in case of a spy), Skywarp scoffed and said, "It was like I wasn't even there!"

"How kind of you," Starscream sarcastically remarked. To anyone who might be listening, they sounded just like they would interact had they been in public view, only a little less mean-spirited. Opting to switch to their trine's comm link, Starscream murmured, **"thank you 'Warp. I'm amazed you were able to get out of there alive… even if you were late."**

"**Hey! I can do anything if I set my processor to it!" **Skywarp protested indignantly, jabbing Starscream's back with a pointed claw. **"Besides, it is better late than never, as the squishies say! There was an infestation of petromice in there!"**

"**Ooooh, how scary," **the tricolored Seeker rolled his ruby optics and poured the energon out of the cube and into the machine's first chamber. This machine looked just like his own, only bigger, faster and more advanced. Within two breems, milky rose-colored sparkling-grade energon began to drip into the detachable collection chamber, much to their relief. **"I would have been **_**so **_**frightened."**

Skywarp grumbled something incoherently before sashaying up to his bondmate, who was still holding Aeon. **"He's just jealous that he doesn't have the same courage as I do, right TC?"**

"**Sure, whatever helps you recharge during the later joors, 'Warp." **Even though his voice was teasing, Thundercracker gave Skywarp a grateful look and gave him a passionate kiss, one that had Skywarp's wings trembling in bliss after they parted. He grinned deviously.

"**I'm 99.90 percent sure you know what helps me recharge during the later joors, TC," **the lavender and obsidian colored Seeker purred, and let his fingers trail along the seams of one of his bondmate's hips. This made Thundercracker press his hip into that wonderfully stimulating servo, and made Aeon squeal indignantly as he was ignored completely.

Skywarp moved to take the sparkling, but instead Starscream pushed a cube of the sparkling-grade energon into his arms. It wasn't that he didn't want to feed Aeon, but why had their trine leader done that? He had half expected Starscream to take Aeon out of Thundercracker's hold and feed the Seekerlet himself. He didn't get to ask, because Starscream had felt his confusion in his energy field. He glanced upward and was displeased to see the unhappy expression on the tricolored jet's face.

"**I have monitor duty, as I've just been informed." **Grimacing, he led his trinemates over to the berth so that one of them could feed Aeon while the other watched. **"I do not understand why we would need this, so soon after that battle, but who am I to question our **_**noble, wise **_**leader Megatron?" **He hissed in frustration and paced back and forth anxiously. **"The Autobots will expect us to lick our wounds for the next fifty orns, I'm sure. I could be devising a plan to attack and cripple their annoying insect allies, but instead I am told I must do twelve joors of monitor duty? Unacceptable!" **He huffed and attempted to calm down, knowing that his energy field was projecting too much of his feelings. Normally, he was quite good at keeping it neutral, but around his trinemates he tended to relax his guard. He shook his head, and gave his trinemates an apologetic look. **"I trust you both to keep him safe and happy while I am gone. There is a thermal blanket for him in the cupboard over there, as well as extra cubes I've been saving for when he gets hungry. Remember to feed him every two to three joors, and tap him between his wings to make sure there's no air stuck in his vents. He usually goes to recharge right after refueling, but don't expect it every time! Anyway, comm me if you need anything." **

Both Skywarp and Thundercracker gave him a sharp nod as the blue Seeker began to feed Aeon, who was clicking in happiness at tasting something that didn't give his tanks an itchy feeling. The cute little sparkling eagerly devoured the energon, and for a brief klik they watched him, feeling a sense of amusement at the little one's behavior, before Starscream finally left.

"**He's totally a femme under all that armor, you know." **Skywarp informed his bondmate with a silly grin on his face.

Thundercracker raised an optic ridge. **"What makes you say that?"**

Skywarp's grin stretched even more, almost frighteningly resembling the Joker. **"He acts like a mother avian to her chicks, has a high voice, gets even more glitchy at certain times of the quad-deca-orn, and his hips don't lie! Ooh!" **

The blue Seeker sighed, and couldn't help but think to himself, 'why am I bonded to him again?' A tiny gurgle interrupted his thoughts and he looked down to little Aeon, who had finished about half the cube and was looking up at him inquisitively. A few taps to the little Seekerlet's back later, and a soft pop made its way out Aeon's vents. Smiling slightly at the cuteness, he set the cube down and began to walk around with the silvery Cybertronian. **"Femmelike or not, I do know one thing…"**

"**What?" **Skywarp looked at him in the same curious manner as Aeon and he chuckled a little.

With a dead serious expression, Thundercracker stated, **"we're going to tap that aft tonight."**

End of chapter three

* * *

Anj: Meh I wanted to end this on a slightly humorous note since all these chapters tend to switch from angst to humor just like that. You guys like it, right? If you doooo…. REVIEW 8U **Fires lasers out of mouth like a boss** ಠ_ಠ I PROMISE it won't be as a humongous wait as last time ;-; thanks for all of your support!

LITTLE EXTRAS

1- think of it as a giant Cybertronian Bunsen burner! And the shiny crystal Skywarp had was a nice big diamond. Mixmaster had the stuff. **Nods**

2- the Legend of Zelda sound byte Skywarp was talking about happens to be the little victory sound you hear when you open a chest in the Ocarina of Time game… as for the FFVII victory theme, it's very popular. My friend had it as a ring tone.


End file.
